Tennis star Li Na on list of top celebrities
By Zha Minjie |
May 18, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINESE tennis player Li Na, the French Open champion, is the only Chinese star to make Forbes Magazine's list of the world's most powerful celebrities of 2012.
With annual earnings of US$18 million, Li is 87th on the Celebrity 100 list released by the magazine yesterday.
Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey and Justin Bieber are top three on the Forbes list.
Li became the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam event with her French Open title last year. She also scored big off the court by signing multimillion-dollar endorsement deals after her Paris triumph.
Li is currently playing in the Italian Open, where she has reached the final 16. She will defend her French title when that tournament begins on May 27.
Li has been struggling this year since she announced her comeback in March following back injuries.
Last week, she was knocked out in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open and dropped back to ninth position in the Women's Tennis Association rankings.
"No matter winning or losing, I will always fight for myself," said Li, added that playing tennis was just a job for her.
Forbes said her victory in Paris last year opened the door to huge markets in China and worldwide.
Despite the sluggish overall sponsorship market, the 28-year-old signed several multimillion-dollar endorsement deals after the historic win, the magazine said. Her deals were with companies including Babolat, Haagan-Daaz, Nike, Samsung and Mercedes-Benz, as well as multiple Chinese enterprises.
Having quit China's tennis program and started her own team, Li is responsible for her own finances. It has been reported that Li's team costs her about 4 million a year. She also has to pay 10 to 12 percent of her winnings to the Chinese tennis supervisory body.
Two other female tennis stars are on the Forbes list.
Maria Sharapova (at 71) is the world's highest paid female athlete with earnings of US$26 million over the past 12 months, while Serena Williams (77) earns US$13 million.
There are 17 athletes on the list. Leading them is golfer Tiger Woods, No. 12 overall.
Forbes said that to make the final cut for its Celebrity 100 "requires a massive level of fame and a thick wallet."
With annual earnings of US$18 million, Li is 87th on the Celebrity 100 list released by the magazine yesterday.
Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey and Justin Bieber are top three on the Forbes list.
Li became the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam event with her French Open title last year. She also scored big off the court by signing multimillion-dollar endorsement deals after her Paris triumph.
Li is currently playing in the Italian Open, where she has reached the final 16. She will defend her French title when that tournament begins on May 27.
Li has been struggling this year since she announced her comeback in March following back injuries.
Last week, she was knocked out in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open and dropped back to ninth position in the Women's Tennis Association rankings.
"No matter winning or losing, I will always fight for myself," said Li, added that playing tennis was just a job for her.
Forbes said her victory in Paris last year opened the door to huge markets in China and worldwide.
Despite the sluggish overall sponsorship market, the 28-year-old signed several multimillion-dollar endorsement deals after the historic win, the magazine said. Her deals were with companies including Babolat, Haagan-Daaz, Nike, Samsung and Mercedes-Benz, as well as multiple Chinese enterprises.
Having quit China's tennis program and started her own team, Li is responsible for her own finances. It has been reported that Li's team costs her about 4 million a year. She also has to pay 10 to 12 percent of her winnings to the Chinese tennis supervisory body.
Two other female tennis stars are on the Forbes list.
Maria Sharapova (at 71) is the world's highest paid female athlete with earnings of US$26 million over the past 12 months, while Serena Williams (77) earns US$13 million.
There are 17 athletes on the list. Leading them is golfer Tiger Woods, No. 12 overall.
Forbes said that to make the final cut for its Celebrity 100 "requires a massive level of fame and a thick wallet."
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